9th grade Student Project: The Ayiti Game
For this project, students will be using the TIGed education program. This project idea came directly from https://www.tigweb.org/tiged/
TIGed is used as a resource and community for teachers wishing to infuse both global perspectives and 21st-century skills into their classrooms. TIGed allows teachers to create private virtual classrooms spaces, collaborate online with classes from around the world, share global education resources, and learn from one another. By enhancing global citizenship while improving technology and media literacy skills, TIGed is bringing the world to students and preparing students for an increasingly globalized future.
BACKGROUND:
Haiti is a country that struggles with severe poverty, being thrown inevitable challenges such as damage from hurricanes and earthquakes, causing the mass destruction of buildings and supplies that are difficult to come by in the first place. Haitians are in a constant fight to survive. Haiti is one of the least developed and poorest countries in the world; 65% of the Haitian population lives below the poverty line. Economic hardship, coupled with political instability, has compounded the impact of natural disasters on the condition of Haitian children, particularly in terms of food, health, education, etc. (Humanium)
Project Goals:
- Students will explore the effects of poverty in Haiti and how it has created an obstacle for children to get any form of education.
- Students will understand the current state of Haiti and the children there
- They will watch several videos to deepen their understanding of the effects of malnutrition.
- They will use an online game called Ayiti: The Cost of Life, to understand conditions in contemporary Haiti and how poverty is an obstacle to education.
- They will develop problem-solving, critical thinking and such life skills as resource management, budgeting, and planning for the future.
- They will learn about ways in which they can advocate for action to confront poverty and increase access to education in Haiti.
Tasks
I. Sendy's Story
1. Watch the video, Sendy’s Story, which presents a case study of a young girl who suffered from chronic malnutrition. After viewing, discuss the following questions with your group.
Then write a blog entry responding to the following questions.
-Why was Sendy malnourished even when she had enough to eat?
-Why was Sendy’s family unable to access enough food and health care to meet their needs?
-What is “stunted growth”? What are other effects of malnutrition?
-What remedy was used to help Sendy and how did it address the cause of malnutrition? (UnicefKIDpower)
2. Watch video: Haiti: Investing in People to Fight Poverty, which provides an overview of the current situation regarding poverty and malnutrition.
II. Ayiti: The Cost of Life
1.Students will play Ayiti: The Cost of Life, in their groups.
2. Students will click on 'Class Discussions' on the left side of the classroom to contribute to a group reflection on playing Ayiti: The Cost of Life.
Address at least one of the following questions on the discussion board:
1. Why would parents choose to devote so much effort to send their children to school?
2. How many of you were able to keep the children in school?
3. What obstacles did you face in trying to keep them in school?
4. How do the situations and options in the game compare with those in your own community?
5. Why might access to education be a challenge in another country?
6. What factors would make it easier for the children in the game to gain access to education? What conditions could be changed and how?
III. Reflections
After playing the game, reflect upon and share your experiences.
The goal of this reflection is to explore
- The correlation between choices made, their respective outcomes, and the constraints faced within the game.
- How our own lives and situations compare and contrast with those of the family members in the game.
Write a blog entry responding to the following questions. Also, comment on others' blogs (2 minimum) in response to the game.
1. What was it like playing the game?
2. What was the game about and how would you describe it to a friend?
3. Which primary objective did you select, and why?
4. What types of decisions did you have to make about the family members while playing the game and trying to achieve your objective?
5. What strategies did you use? For example, did you combine work and school, or did you send everyone to work? Which worked? Which did not?
IV. Take Action
Choose one of the following actions you would like to undertake to make a difference. You may also come up with your own idea. Be sure to discuss it with your teacher before moving forward. Lastly, write a few paragraphs (200 words) about what you learned playing the game and post it as a blog entry
1. Write a letter of inquiry to the Haitian Ambassador to the United States or United Nations to find out about the current status on access to education in Haiti:
E-mail: embassy@haiti.org
http://www.haiti.org
2. Introduce your peers to the game and educate them about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
3. Raise funds to support a local organization in Haiti such as the Maison Fortuné Orphanage in Hinche which is working to provide food, shelter, clothing, and education to orphaned Haitian children. Also, review the document "Organizational Contacts in Haiti" or do a search of TakingITGlobal's database to find more organizations in Haiti.
4. Educate your peers and members of your community by writing an article on poverty as an obstacle to education in your school or community newspaper.
Evaluation
| |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| Sendy's Story Blog Entry |
The Student did not include a blog entry. |
The student included a blog entry but only responded to one of the four questions. |
The student included a blog entry but only responded to two of the four questions. |
The student included the blog entry and responded to three of the four questions. The response was mostly accurate |
The student included a blog entry and responded to all of the questions. The response was all accurate. |
| Ayiti: The Cost of Life |
The student did not play the game and failed to contribute to group reflection on the discussion board |
The student did play the game, but did not finish. The student also failed to contribute to the group reflection on the discussion board. |
The student played and finished the game. However, the student failed to contribute to the group reflection on the discussion board. |
The student played and finished the game. The student also contributed to the group reflection on the discussion board. |
The student played and finished the game. The student also contributed to the group reflection by addressing more than one question on the discussion board. |
| Reflection Blog and Peer comments |
The student did not write a reflection blog. The student did not comment on others' blogs in response to the game. |
The student included a reflection blog but did not comment on others' blogs in response to the game. |
The student included a reflection blog but only commented on one other blog in response to the game. |
The student included a reflection blog and commented on others' blogs in response to the game. |
The student included a reflection blog and commented on more than three of the others' blogs in response to the game. |
| Take Action |
Did not take any action nor write a blog entry about what he or she has learned from playing the game. |
The student shared his or her idea with the teacher but did not take any action in response to the project. The student also failed to write a blog entry of what he or she has learned from playing the game. |
The student wrote a blog entry of what he or she has learned from the playing the game. However, the student has not taken any action in response to the project. |
The student wrote a blog entry of what he or she has learned from playing the game. The student has also taken action by choosing one of the following suggestions given by the teacher. |
The student wrote a blog entry of what he or she has learned from the playing the game. The student has also taken action by choosing two of the following suggestions given by the teacher. |
References
Ayiti: The Cost of Life. (n.d.) TGied. Retrieved from https://www.tigweb.org/tiged/projects/ayiti/guide.html
Lesson: Exploring the Impact of Malnutrition. (n.d.) UnicefKidpower. Retrieved from https://unicefkidpower.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001541646-Grades-6-8-Haiti
Realizing Children's Rights in Haiti. (n.d.). Humanium. Retrieved from https://www.humanium.org/en/haiti/
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